I will be crowned king

Clovis City, sixteen forty-five.

The raging fires all over the city soared into the sky, dyeing the winter evening with a blood red that did not belong to the sunset; the city of Clovis, which had been at peace for nearly two years since the 100th year of the Saints calendar, was once again evoked Horrible memories.

Even more so.

Like a sea of ​​fire in purgatory, burning, killing, looting, and merciless conflicts are endlessly staged in the streets and alleys with no moral bottom line: the Storm Legion suppressing the mutiny is fighting against the rebels, and the mutinous rebels are fighting. Fighting against guerrilla militiamen, the militiamen fought against deserters, criminals and gangsters who took advantage of the opportunity to rob property. The gangsters fought against the Whitehall Street police who were guarding prisoners while trying to maintain order, and the police had to fight against Missed by the Storm Legion and lucky enough to escape the first round of counterattack...

Everyone must take up arms to protect themselves and the lives and property of their relatives and friends; your enemies are not limited to the heavily armed rebels and robbers and bandits who take advantage of the situation, but also include ordinary people who have been bullied by you and neighbors who have been at odds with you in the past. , relatives who have already separated due to property...

No one knew whether the newsboy who suddenly appeared on the street corner had a revolver loaded with six-shooters in his hat and backpack, or a grenade with the fuse unplugged.

Although Ludwig had expected this to happen in advance, and even made a lot of preparations in advance, he found the Erich instructor of the shotgun club and the dean of the Royal Military Academy, and mobilized the club members to join forces with the students in the school. Cooperating with the police to maintain order, but with little success.

Because the students and officers lacked experience in maintaining law and order, this led to many side effects: some people could not tell which were the militiamen and which were the bandits who had just looted the shops, and they all chose armed suppression, resulting in many innocent casualties.

Even this is not the worst outcome... Students who have not yet graduated are very wary of using force against ordinary people. The result is that the thugs are not afraid of their verbal threats at all, and the situation that could have been suppressed quickly deteriorates, and Whitehall needs to Street police sent troops to assist in the suppression, and the shops and apartment buildings that were looted were reduced to rubble.

In the end, in addition to the Osteria Palace, which has sufficient armed forces, the Royal Military Academy, the Army Headquarters Dedication Palace, the Clovis Cathedral with special significance, and St. Isaac's College, the formerly prosperous and peaceful inner city There is no corner that can be called "safe".

The city of Clovis, which was like a quagmire, gradually blurred the boundaries between all the forces involved in chaos.

On the one hand, the three-hour rapid counterattack has exhausted the Storm Legion's combat potential. No matter how hard they race against time, they have to take a break; on the other hand, the inner city rebels who were forced to a life-or-death situation finally showed their strength. Uncovering their true strength, they integrated the scattered companies one by one, and withstood the attacks from both sides of the inner and outer city areas without being defeated immediately.

Even now, the enemy that poses the greatest threat to them is no longer the Storm Legion and the surrendered mutiny troops, but the militia forces that have been repeatedly ravaged before. Although the retreating defense line can ensure that the Storm Legion does not leave too many spoils, there are still Many of them were too late to take away; the Storm Legion, which was eager to advance quickly, obviously couldn't clean the battlefield for these.

So except for a small part, such as infantry cannons, which were recovered by the Whitehall Street police, a large number of powder barrels and ammunition boxes fell into the hands of the militia armed forces. They used native cannons, simple trebuchets and large slingshots to "return the originals" To the rebels who were cowering and holding on.

But this situation obviously cannot last forever. Tens of thousands of demoralized rebels are blocked in the inner city. No matter how stubborn they are, it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out.

Huddled in the dilapidated ruins, fighting from early morning to afternoon, the rebel soldiers, who barely had any rest, looked hungrily at the sea of ​​​​fire in the distance that was as bright as day, wondering whether they would be able to see the next day. sun.

……………………

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

In the Osteria Palace, Sophia had a determined look on her face. She didn't even wait for Ludwig to finish speaking, and directly rejected his proposal: "The general who let the mutiny go, and even promised not to pursue it afterward... I don't think about this kind of thing." Don’t even think about it!”

"But……"

"There are no buts!" The girl interrupted again unceremoniously: "I'm not a completely unreasonable person. I understand that the core of politics is compromise; but there are some things that you absolutely cannot give in to, otherwise you will only let others take advantage of you. Treat kindness as weakness!"

"The two generals who did not enter the inner city, burn, kill, and loot, and took the initiative to surrender to us, can forgive their sins according to the situation, and even grant a certain degree of reward. But those who entered the inner city, massacred and looted, Anyone who threatens the safety of the royal family must be severely punished, no matter whether they are officers or soldiers!"

"This is the advice given by me, the newly appointed Minister of War." After speaking harshly, Sophia stood up and looked at Queen Anne who was sitting above her. She raised her skirt and curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, please make your decision."

Even though they were in the side hall, Ludwig, who was standing below, quickly followed him, reluctantly stroking her chest and saluting - at least now, this queen is their biggest trump card, and she deserves to be given a minimum of respect. .

Anne nodded slightly, but did not reply immediately; she knew very well that maybe Sophia was more loyal to her, but in terms of military matters, Ludwig's experience seemed more trustworthy.

"I have to admit that I agree with some of the views of the Minister of War, but I am not His Majesty Carlos II, I am just a temporary regent. Naturally, I should listen to as much advice as possible; tell me your concerns, Major General .”

"As commanded."

The respectful Ludwig was secretly relieved. Originally, what he was most worried about was that the queen was eager to clear her name and became irrational in order to prove that she avenged Carlos II.

"My concern is very simple. Although these soldiers and officers committed heinous crimes, in fact, based on what we have learned so far, many of them were actually coaxed by their superiors and launched this attack without any knowledge. A mutiny." Ludwig said solemnly:

"Most of them even mistakenly thought that the Storm Legion had hijacked the royal family. The purpose of entering the city was to rescue and avenge His Majesty's death. They did not really want to launch a rebellion."

"The most important thing is that these more than 60,000 people are all Clovis's most elite standing army. They are the core force to resist the invasion of foreign enemies and defend the royal family. If the losses are heavy, it will be very painful for Clovis. "

"Even those six generals... I personally don't want to comment too much on my seniors. Your Majesty may also know that my relationship with them is not good; but these people are the top leaders of Clovis; all of a sudden Losing six, it will be difficult for the kingdom to immediately control the 300,000 legions outside the city; if it encounters an immediate war and an engineering project that urgently needs to mobilize a large number of manpower, it will be difficult to mobilize."

"You mean, because they are very important, they can do anything, right?" Sophia snorted coldly:

"Even if it threatens the royal family, is it a sin that can be forgiven?"

"This is your understanding, don't distort what I want to express."

Ludwig sighed helplessly: "Punishment is of course necessary, but it must also be appropriate, otherwise the damage caused will not be what Clovis can bear now."

Neither of them could convince the other and could only wait for the queen's decision.

at this time……

"I'm extremely sorry, Your Majesty."

A slightly tired voice walked into the side hall of the Privy Council with unhurried steps: "It seems that you feel a little embarrassed because of the child."

"Your Majesty the Archbishop?!"

Seeing the figure of the visitor clearly, Queen Anne stood up suddenly, and even Sophia and Ludwig, who were still confronting each other, couldn't help but turn their heads.

"May the Ring of Order bless you, Your Majesty." Luther Franz lowered his head and said, "Why don't you come uninvited? I asked the guards outside the door not to summon you, mainly because I was worried that it would attract too many people. Many people are looking at you, and that may have some not-so-good effects on you.”

"No, no, your Excellency the Archbishop is so attentive." Queen Anne could no longer hold back her excitement: "The current situation requires an elder like you to take charge of the overall situation and contribute wisdom to the kingdom in danger!"

"Your Majesty is ridiculous. I am only the archbishop of Clovis Cathedral. When it comes to secular affairs, it seems that it is not the turn of an old man like me to speak."

"But there are elements of the Old God Sect in this mutiny!" The queen had no intention of giving him a chance to be "modest", and she also knew very well that since the other party came on his own initiative, he couldn't just come over to watch the fun:

"You should already know the situation, and I hope you will be able to enlighten me and share your opinions."

Before he finished speaking, Sophia and Ludwig became nervous at the same time, staring at the old man's expression motionlessly.

Luther Franz, who looked dull, stood up slightly, as if thinking for a while, and then said slowly: "I don't seem to have the qualifications to make suggestions about whether we should severely punish the rebellious soldiers and officers, but there is one thing. It’s a small matter, please pay more attention to it, Your Majesty.”

"Oh, please."

"As far as I know, you seem to have planned to forgive the two legions that attacked the rebels. But the problem is that they also burned, killed and looted in Clovis City, but they did not enter the inner city."

"If we forgive them just because of this, will the people in the outer city, which accounts for three-quarters or even more of Clovis City, have the idea of ​​being abandoned or even alienated from the royal family?"

……………………

"Quite simply, it's absolutely impossible."

Looking at the questioning eyes of the two people in front of him, little Périgord showed a mysterious smile: "You may wish to think about it, for the royal family and the Privy Council who have just lost their king and are eager to end this mutiny, what they need most now is What?"

"Of course he is the commander who can preside over the situation and stabilize the 300,000-strong army." Without waiting for the other party's reply, he directly gave the answer: "The six generals who have entered the city now, their fate will change from besieging Osteria Palace to It was doomed from the moment of failure; no matter how reluctant they are, they must root out the traitors and maintain the dignity of the royal family!"

"Naturally, this result will benefit the Franz family and their lackey Anson Bach, and they will become equal to you; but if I were the Privy Council and the royal family, as long as I don't have a stupid head on my head, I will not The Franz family may be allowed to monopolize power and become the most decisive presence in the army system!"

"So you two don't have to worry at all. All you need to do is to annihilate those shameless rebels as soon as possible before the Storm Legion. Don't let Ludwig Franz and Anson Bach take away all the credit. There will be absolutely no lives. danger."

"It's even...possible to go further because of this; Clovis's military system has resulted in there not being many senior generals. Even if they are stained, the two of them are important beings in the eyes of the Privy Council who can balance the Franz family."

Little Périgord leaned forward slightly, his voice full of temptation: "Think about it, this stain can even become your advantage; the more prominent and unshakable the status of the Franz family, the more the Privy Council will I rely on you two to do our best to provide you with all the help you need."

"And these just require you to defeat a group of idiots who are desperate and self-satisfied. Is there anything better than this?"

"It sounds simple, but is it really that easy?" One of the generals couldn't help but said: "They have really been forced to a dead end, and we have just betrayed... It's hard for others to say, but it's I myself would rather die than bow to a traitor!"

"Yes, because you are all proud soldiers and knights; knights... will not lower their heads easily." Little Périgord agreed, and then changed the topic: "But if you have other reasons, the situation is Isn’t it necessary?”

"...the reason?"

The two generals said in unison.

"To be honest, I have secretly sent people to inform the generals who are being besieged by the enemy to explain the reasons for your surrender. The reinforcements of the Franz family have arrived outside Clovis; if the mutiny continues, the result is very likely The entire city of Clovis will cease to exist."

"In order to avoid the worst outcome, and for everyone's original goal, the two of you came up with this plan and voluntarily surrendered." Little Périgord said with an extremely sincere expression: "And to be honest, if you lose at the hands of these two, no matter what you say, It is much better than being defeated by the Storm Legion. After all, if it falls into the hands of Anson Bach, it will definitely..."

"Report!"

The messenger who suddenly broke in interrupted the conversation of several people: "The man who was sent to the inner city to make peace with several other legions has returned, but... all that came back was his head and the replies from the generals. .”

"They said they had reached an agreement with Brigadier General Anson Bach. After completely defeating our attack and retaking the entrances and exits of the inner and outer city, they would voluntarily surrender to the Commander-in-Chief of the Storm Legion!"

The moment he finished speaking, little Périgord's smile froze on his face.

Happy Chinese New Year, Kongkong updated today in advance, wishing everyone a happy New Year!